


too much to ask

by blackmarketorchids (orphan_account)



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Allura and Lance are Siblings, Altean Lance (Voltron), Angst, Arranged Marriage, Break Up, Childhood Friends, Forbidden Love, Friends to Lovers, Galra Keith (Voltron), Heartbreak, Hurt, M/M, Prince Lance (Voltron), Sneaking Around
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-07
Updated: 2017-11-10
Packaged: 2019-01-30 16:32:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12657288
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/blackmarketorchids
Summary: Keith and Lance want to be together more than anything. Sadly, there's too much standing in the way for it to work out like they want.Was a simple relationship too much to ask?***ugh I'm so lame I couldn't finish this sorry folks





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> thanks to one of my readers for providing the suggestion to write this. It's probably not exactly what you asked for, but I hope it's enough!!

  Allura gently rested her hand on her younger brother's shoulder, smiling a bit. She had to make sure Lance stayed put, and didn't try to run off while they met with the Galra leader. They were old allies, ones neither of the siblings had even heard of before. Their father must've neglected to teach them of the Galra… However, today, they were meeting the highest ranking general and his son, who happened to be Lance's age. Like any twelve year old boy, he didn't like staying put for so long, especially during such a boring meeting.

  Lance was already tuning Alfor out as he spoke with the general, slumping against the table, sighing loudly. Allura rolls her eyes a little, crossing her arms. “Sit up, Lance,” She whispers, glaring at him. Lance sticks his tongue out at her, and she gasps quietly. “Is that any way for a prince to act?” She demands quietly, trying to keep her voice hushed so the adults weren't distracted. 

  A quiet chuckle comes from the other side of the table when Lance sticks his tongue out, and that's what makes Lance look up. It was the other boy, the general's son. He was smiling, clearly amused with Lance's antics. Lance smirks at his sister before looking past her and at his dad. “Father, I'm bored. I don't want to sit in the stupid meeting,” He mutters, crossing his arms, clearly upset. Both Alfor and the General look over at him to see him pouting, and Alfor gives an embarrassed chuckle.

  “Ah…Lance, why don't you run along then, hm?” He asks quietly, gesturing to the door. “We don't need any more distractions.” The other boy gasps quietly as Lance gets up, seeing this as unfair, and he's about to tug on his father's sleeve when the General just sighs and wordlessly gestures for him to get up and follow Lance out. He didn't want to deal with his son complaining just like Lance was, even though he knew very well his son wouldn't dare behave that way. 

  Lance gestures for the boy to follow him out, and the boy gladly follows him out. Once the big double doors are closed, Lance grins. “Glad we got out of there,” He says with a laugh, nodding his head toward the door. The boy nods in agreement 

  “Yeah. I have to go to a lot of boring meetings with my dad. Diplomat stuff, I guess. I hate it but I'm not allowed to say anything,” He mutters with a little huff. Lance can only offer him a shrug of sympathy. 

  “Same here. Uh, I'm Lance, by the way,” He holds out his hand, but the boy just hits a fist against his chest.

  “I'm Keith,” He says firmly, smirking. He drops his hand, and Lance just raises an eyebrow. Huh, customs must be different for the Galra… Well, pretty much everything was different about the Galra.

  “You know, you look pretty funny Keith,” Lance idly mumbles, reaching forward to pat a hand against Keith's fluffy head of hair. Galra children were usually big balls of fluff, and Keith was just growing out of that, so his hair was still kind of…poofed. Keith huffs, his ears lying back as Lance kind of pets him. He resists the urge to smack his hands away; he'd get in a lot of trouble with his father if he even dared touch the prince. 

  “Not as weird as you,” He mutters, glaring a bit. Lance raises an eyebrow, taking his hand back.

  “I don't look weird. I look normal,” He insists, crossing his arms. Keith smirks.

  “Maybe normal for you, but to me you look weird. Things are different where I come from.” He shakes his head a bit. “You're kinda mean for a prince. Aren't you supposed to be nice?”

  Lance shrugs a bit, starting to walk away. Keith just follows him. “I hate being a prince. It's so boring. So I don't wanna act like a prince either. That's boring too.” He sticks up his nose, making Keith raise an eyebrow. 

  “You Alteans really are weird,” He mutters falling into step with Lance, who just rolls his eyes,sighing.

  “Well, Father said you'd be working for us now, so you better get used to it,” He says, and Keith shakes his head.

  “I don't care.” Because he didn't. Lance wasn't as high and mighty as he thought, and Keith knew that. “If you don't wanna be a prince, maybe you could be something else instead,” He suggests, and Lance looks at him, a bit curious as to what he means. “You could be like me. My dad makes me train a lot since I'll be the general someday. Maybe you could be a fighter and not a prince. I could teach you, I know a lot about fighting. It's pretty fun.”

  Intrigued, Lance relaxes a bit. “Fighting doesn't sound very fun. Don't you get hurt?” He asks, and Keith shakes his head. 

  “Not if you're practicing, like dad says. Come on, I'll show you…”

  Lance gets his first black eye that afternoon, along with his very first crush. Who knew being punched could bring so many new emotions?

 

*****

 

  “You know,” Lance grits out as he struggles to keep his footing as his staff connected with Keith's sword. Keith was pushing him back quite hard, only making it that much more obvious that he was stronger than Lance. “You're gonna have to give up eventually.” He swings around and thrusts the staff at him, only to be blocked once more, making Keith laugh. 

  “Please,” He mutters, kicking the staff away and raising his sword to slash at Lance, who reacts quickly and lifts his staff up to block the blow. “We all know you can't beat me,” He says with a grin. Lance laughs and shoves Keith back again, very quickly flinging his staff out and hitting Keith's legs out from under him, making him lose his footing and fall onto his back, the wind getting knocked out of him, his sword falling to the grass with a dull thud. 

  Dropping his staff and throwing his hands up in the air, Lance lets out a whoop of victory, laughing as he punches the air a bit. “Ha! I got you!” He shouts, and Keith groans, his eyes squeezed shut.

  “Yeah,” He gasps out, still trying to get his breath back. “Yeah, you got me,” He mumbles, slowly and carefully getting to his feet. “You win.” He pats Lance's shoulder, grinning. “What's the score now? Seven-hundred to one?” He asks teasingly, making Lance gasp and shove him playfully.

  “Prick, not even close. It's a lot more even than that,” He insists, picking up his staff. “In the five years we've known each other, I have to say that I'm pretty sure I've won more than you. Like, obviously, considering how amazing I am.” He starts walking away, a smirk on his face. Keith rolls his eyes, picking up his sword, sheathing it, then following him. 

  “Keep telling yourself that, buddy,” He murmurs, patting Lance's back. “You know...I’m almost set to take over my dad’s position soon. I mean, he’s still super powerful and all but he wants to see how I do with all his...general affairs or whatever,” He mutters, giving him a big shrug. Lance looks at him, raising an eyebrow. 

  “What does that mean?” He asks, and Keith sighs.

  “It means that I’m gonna be taking over the military soon, you know? Not for a few more years, but when I do go I’m gonna be all bad and tough. Not like you, wimpy prince,” He teases with a playful nudge, and Lance rolls his eyes, sighing. 

  “Hey, I’m pretty badass too, I mean...as badass as a prince can be, I guess.” He shrugs half heartedly. “Anyways, what's gonna happen once you take over?” He asks, looking up at Keith.

  Keith looks up at the sky, thinking. “Well, dad says I'm gonna have to leave Altea for a while, to do some more…I don't know, I guess more official stuff. I have to meet with other leaders, train with other armies…” He rubs the back of his neck, looking down then. “I'm gonna be away for a while, Lance…”

  Lance looks at him, his heart twisting a little bit. He doesn't say anything for a moment before he just sighs and nods. “Yeah, I figured.” A quiet falls between them for a moment as they walk, until Lance takes a deep breath. “Do you even want to be the general?” He asks, looking at Keith. Keith doesn't respond for a moment, but then he sighs and shakes his head. 

  “Not really. I never did. Just because I'm good at something doesn't mean I want to do it for the rest of my life.” He shifts uncomfortably. “There's so much I want to do but can't just because of who I am, who I was born to…” He kicks at the ground a little. “Not very fair if you ask me.”

  Lance smiles a little, using his free hand to take Keith's and squeeze it a bit as he laces their fingers together. “If anyone understands that feeling, it's me,” He murmurs, and Keith just chuckles, looking at their hands, then in Lance's eyes. 

  “Guess we both have a lot on our plates, huh?” He asks quietly, and Lance nods in agreement. They're both quiet once more, walking and holding hands. It was nice to know that someone understood. Both of them had responsibilities they wish they didn't, both wished for different lives, different paths. But it couldn't be, and they knew that. There were only a few short years they had until Keith's life changed completely, and it might be selfish, but Lance wanted these next few years to be spent with him. 

  Sure, they've been best friends since they met, but Lance's feelings had moved past that. Deep down, he thinks Keith knows. But… “Hey, um…can we talk about something, Keith?” He asks quietly, and Keith looks over at him and nods.

  “Yeah, of course,” He murmurs, nodding again. ‘What's wrong?” He asks, looking a bit cautious. Lance shakes his head, smiling nervously.

  “Nothing’s wrong, um. It's more like, us. I was just wondering if…maybe, until you leave, we could be together. Like boyfriends.” He really hopes he didn't sound super awkward asking him like that. Keith just smiles a bit, squeezing his hand again. 

  “Sure, Lance,” He says quietly, looking at him. He brings Lance's hand up to kiss it, making Lance laugh a little. 

  “Jeez, dude,” He mutters through his laughter as he takes his hand back. Keith laughs with him, nudging him a bit. “But seriously, you'll be with me?” He asks, just a bit nervous. Keith gives him a nod and another nudge with his elbow. 

  “Of course.”

 

***

 

  “No. No, Lance, absolutely not,” Alfor says without hesitation. “You cannot be with the general's son- and a Galra, no less.” He says, pretty angry as he speaks with Lance alone. Lance couldn't understand why he was so angry, in all honesty. He sighs. 

  “Father, it's just Keith,” He tries to convince him, but Alfor doesn't seem to be having it. He just shakes his head again. 

  “Lance, listen to me…” Alfor leans a bit close to Lance. “You are much more than any Galra will ever amount to. You're a prince. And to bring yourself so low as to enter a relationship with one, even one as high ranking as Keith, is just…laughable. It's unheard of, and I won't allow it.” 

  Stunned, Lance stares at him. “...what are you talking about?” He asks quietly. “There's nothing wrong with them. There's nothing wrong with  _ Keith _ ,” He murmurs, confused. “They're our allies, aren't they? They’re…they’re part of our family-”

  “I don't want to see you with him again, Lance,” Alfor interrupts him, visibly upset. “I've already begun the process to finding you a suitable wife, regardless. Don't let me catch you with that boy again. I'll be having a talk with the general tonight. You're dismissed.”

  Lance doesn't even know what to say, absolutely shocked that his father would say these things to him. Without another word, he gets up and walks out of the big office his father did all his work in. Confused and hurt,  he makes his way down the halls, towards his room. This…couldn't be happening. He looks up and around, wondering where Keith might be. He had to tell him, and quickly. He veers off the path towards his room and instead heads outside, where he was certain Keith might be jogging or something. He's lucky that that's exactly where Keith is. “Keith!” He shouts, waving his hand a bit to grab his attention. Keith stops running, confused.

  He walks over to Lance, taking a moment to catch his breath. “Lance? What's wrong, what happened?” He asks, and Lance just shakes his head. 

  “I can't-” He sighs shakily. “We can't do this. Be together, I mean.” When the heartbroken look crosses Keith's face, Lance winces. “My father just spoke with me. He said some…pretty messed up things about us. But he said he won't allow it or whatever. And he's bringing your dad into it too.”

  That scares Keith. “Oh, shit,” He whispers, looking away. “Really? Did he really say that?” He looks back at Lance, visibly concerned. Lance nods slightly. 

  “But this- it doesn't mean I want to stop seeing you…” He gets close. “You're good at sneaking around, aren't you?” He asks quietly, smiling a bit. Keith smirks and nods a bit, already understanding what Lance is getting at. 

  “You're in luck, I'm pretty good at it,” He murmurs, giving him a quick kiss. “Lemme guess…you wanna sneak behind our parents’ backs?” He asks, and Lance just shrugs and nods.

  “What else can we do, right?” His smile is just a bit sad, and Keith sighs, nodding. 

  “Alright, we can do that…” He steps back, just in case someone might be watching. “So…I'll see you tonight them?” He asks playfully, and Lance playfully punches his arm.

  “Yeah, tonight.”


	2. Chapter 2

 Keith was lucky part of his training was stepping as quietly as possible to avoid getting caught during secret or undercover missions. It allows him to sneak out of the Galra quarters behind the castle with relative ease. Everyone was asleep, so he had to be careful. After making sure he wasn't followed or anything, he books it across the back lawn and stops at the big back door where Lance is waiting for him. He grins and nudges the door open for him. “Hey,” He whispers, and Keith chuckles quietly. 

  “Hey. I made it,” He murmurs, and Lance smirks, nudging him.

  “Obviously,” He whispers back. “Come on, the guards are gonna make their way back soon.” He grips Keith's hand and starts leading him to his room. They make it unnoticed, like Lance was sure they would, but it was still a relief. Lance gently closes and locks his door, sighing. “Alright,” He says, finally talking normally. He turns and looks at Keith, who's just smiling at him. But he looks kind of sad. “Hey, wait…what's with the face?” He asks quietly, going over and cupping his face.

  Keith just shrugs a bit. “It kind of sucks that we have to sneak around like this, you know?” He murmurs, looking a bit disheartened. “This…wasn't exactly how I saw us being together,I guess.”

  Nodding slightly, Lance sighs. “Yeah, um…me neither,” He murmurs, gently stroking Keith's cheeks with his thumbs. “I'm sorry. I'd change it if I could.” Keith just shrugs a bit and hugs Lance, nuzzling into his neck a bit, closing his eyes. He decides not to complain anymore, and just spend all the time he could being close to Lance. That was what mattered more than anything to him.

  Lance was what truly mattered. 

  Sneaking around became the norm for them. Lance wanted the escape from his daily duties as prince, and Keith was just that. Neither of them really liked the situation they were in; it definitely sucked. Seeing each other and being around each other during the day became increasingly difficult. It was hard not to look at each other with those longing looks or those soft smiles. 

  But their parents aren't idiots. Especially Keith's father. He sees the way his son looks at Lance. He sees the way they interact, the way they look at each other… And he definitely wasn't about to let that happen. He pulls Keith aside one night, to tell him just how stupid getting caught up in Lance was, and he isn't gentle about it at all. That night, Keith doesn't go to see Lance. He couldn't, not after that… 

  Lance feels like an idiot for waiting up for him, but also disheartened and sad. Keith always came to see him, why hadn't he tonight? He locks his bedroom door and flops down on bed, deciding to just sleep it off. It's only been a month or two, but…well, when you're in love, time seems to slow down a little. It already felt like years that they've known each other, that they've been on love. At least, to Lance anyways.

  The very next day, Lance starts heading outside to find Keith, to ask what happened the previous opus night, but he doesn't even make it out the door when he's stopped by one of the servants. He's told his father needs to see him, and a bit of a sick feeling settles in his stomach. He just nods and heads to his father's office. 

  He doesn't bother knocking before he walks inside, a bit nervous. “Um, hello, father. You needed me?” He asks quietly, and Alfor nods, gesturing for Lance to take a seat, a smile on his face.

  “Yes, my boy. I have some good news,” He tells him, visibly excited. Lance raises an eyebrow, confused. 

  “Um, okay. What is it?” He asks, and Alfor takes a breath, folding his hands on his desk.

  “I've arranged your marriage. She's a lovely woman, comes from a noble family. She's perfect, and…” 

  Lance tunes him out right after ‘marriage’, and he's not listening anymore. He sort of feels like his heart is breaking, because…because this means he can't see Keith anymore. He can't love Keith anymore. He'll have different responsibilities, new priorities, and- well, a wife. But he didn't want a wife, he wanted Keith. He only wanted Keith. He's brought out of his little trance when he hears Alfor repeat his name for the fifth time. He blinks a bit, looking at him. “When is the wedding?” He asks quietly, not even caring about what was said before.

  Alfor pauses for a moment before he clears his throat a bit. “It's in a few months. We've already begun preparations. I'll have you meet her very soon, I know she's very excited to meet you,” He tells his son with a big smile. Lance can only give him a small nod, and that's when Alfor’s smile fades. “This means, Lance, that you can't keep going behind our backs with Keith. We know about it, General Kogane and I. And we’re putting a stop to it  _ now _ . Keith is being sent off tonight, to finish his training elsewhere. We warned you two, and it's time you faced the consequences.”

  Lance's eyes widen a bit, and he gets to his feet quickly, shocked. “What? What, are you serious?!” He demands, anger starting to boil up inside of him. “He's being sent away just for seeing me?!”

  Stone faced and calm, Alfor nods. “Like I said. I warned you. You deserve much more than some Galra soldier. General Kogane has already made all the arrangements, so…I suggest you say your goodbyes. That's all we'll allow.”

  Lance doesn't even know what to say. He doesn't. He's absolutely speechless, because he can't get his head around the fact that Keith is actually being sent away early purely for loving him. Without another word, he huffs angrily and walks out of the office go find Keith. He couldn't let him leave without saying goodbye. It couldn't happen. He hurries across the lawn towards the Galra quarters, and he runs right into General Kogane right upon opening the door.

  The general grips his shoulders and steadies him, frowning a bit. “He's just finishing packing his things. He'll be leaving in a few hours,” Is all he says before nudging Lance to the side and walking off. Lance just sighs and looks around a bit to find Keith. Once he does, he goes right up to him.

  “Keith- fuck, can you believe this?” He asks, running a hand through his hair. “They're-”

  Keith nods curtly as he folds up another shirt tucking it into a gear bag. “I know. My father told me last night.” So that's why he didn't show up… “He's sending me off early because of this.” He chuckles to himself, shaking his head. He hasn't looked at Lance, and it's eating at Lance a little bit.

  Lance shifts a little bit, feeling a bit nervous. “I didn't…I didn't know this would happen, Keith, I'm sorry,” He whispers, feeling awful. “I just…can't believe I'm losing you…”

  Keith doesn't say anything for a moment before he just sighs and looks up. “Well, it's happening,” He murmurs, shaking his head a bit and looking away again. “And there's nothing we can do about it. Anyways, my dad told me you're getting married soon.” He stands up and gets his bag over his shoulder. “Congratulations,” He mutters as he brushes past Lance to load his bag into the ship. Lance watches him, surprised.

  In his opinion, it was shitty that Keith knew about his marriage before even he did.

  He follows him. “Keith, I don't…I don't want you to go,” He whispers, gripping his hand, trying to stop him from walking away so quickly. Keith shakes his head, taking his hand back.

  “I don't really have a say in it. I don't know what I was thinking, sneaking around with you. I should've known it'd just end up being trouble.” He shoves his bag into the ship, then steps back. “Look, I have a lot to do…can you just- can you just go, please?” He asks, voice quiet, his expression pained.

  Surprised and hurt, Lance stares at him. “This is how you're going to leave?” He asks quietly, smiling in disbelief. “Mad at me? I didn't do this. It isn't my fault.”

  “You asked me to be your boyfriend. You asked me to sneak around. You basically got us caught, since it was all your bright idea. I don't know why I listened,” He mutters, pushing past him again. Lance starts following him again.

  “You said you loved me, Keith,” Lance reminds him bitterly, and Keith nods.

  “Yeah, I did. And I do. But this was just stupid on our parts. And this is what we get.” He picks up his second bag. “Please, Lance, just go. I really need to finish this.” He stops walking, looking at Lance, almost pleading with him. Lance can't believe it. 

  He stares at him for a long moment before nodding slightly and stepping away. “Fine,” He whispers before turning away and hurriedly walking out before he says something else he might not want to. He was trying not to be as surprised and hurt as he was, but it wasn't working. He figured this might end in disaster, but this…

  He wasn't expecting this.

**Author's Note:**

> now let's hope I can actually keep up with it lmao...


End file.
